Apparatus for removing waste filamentary material from a spool or bobbin



Oct. 18, 1960 H. BUNDEGAARD ETAL APPARATUS FOR REMOVING WASTE FILAMENTARY MATERIAL FROM A SPOOL OR BOBBIN Filed March 30, 1959 INVENTOR.

United States Patent Office 2,957,065 Patented Oct. 18, 1960 APPARATUS FOR REMOVING WASTE FILAMEN- TARY MATERIAL FROM A SPOOL R BOBBIN Filed Mar. 30, 1959, Ser. No. 802,681

3 Claims. (Cl. 21919) This invention relates to removal of waste, tilamentary material from a bobbin or a spool. More particularly, this invention relates to the removal of waste organic filamentary material with the use of a heated wire.

This invention is concerned with the old problem of removing the remaining waste organic (natural or synthetic) material from a bobbin or spool which usually remains on the bobbin or the spool in such a manner that it is difhcult to remove. There have been various means and devices disclosed and invented in the prior art which solve or attempt to solve this problem, some of which are adaptable to specific types of lamentary material. These means include: unwinding the remaining material, manually stripping it from the spool or bobbin with a knife, employing a mechanical means to strip the remaining waste material with a knife, and the use of brushes which are adapted to the removal of material which is not permanently fixed to the spool or bobbin.

Because many of the means cause damage to the spool or bobbin, are very complex, or are hard to control mechanisms, there still exist many problems to be solved.

Applicants have found that by using a heated wire to cut the waste filamentary material that this cleans the spool or bobbin rapidly without damage to it.

Applicants invention takes advantage of the thermoplastic properties of synthetic materials, such as those now in general use in making filaments, and therefore provides a much finer control than many previously known means. By merely adjusting the amount of current passing through the wire, it s not only possible to remove the waste material readily and without diiculty from the spool or bobbin, but it is also possible to remove undesirable intermediate portions by cutting the current off at the desired depth.

Other advantages are the facts that applicants invention may be used on spools or bobbins of various diameters and that the temperature of the wire may be also hot enough to cut the waste filamentary material and cold enough so as not to damage the spool or bobbin.

The main object of this invention is to provide a means for removing waste, organic, filamentary material from spools and bobbins.

Another object is to provide a means which is susceptible to suflicient control so that undesirable intermediate portions of lilamentary material which is wrapped about a bobbin may be severed and removed.

Another object is to provide a means of removing loose material from the spool or bobbin and keep it free Ifrom damage.

The invention comprises essentially a heated wire for cutting. This wire is fxedly suspended from an arm (these two elements forming a cutting assembly) which moves the wire in a cutting plane. The bobbin or spool which is desired to be connected is axially mounted in this cutting plane. This desired arrangement is conveniently accomplished by providing a base member with a vertical support attached thereto wherein the heated wire cutting assembly is rotatably mounted to the vertical support at one end of the arm. The means for mounting the bobbin is an elongated bobbin holder which is mounted in such a position that the heated element may be brought into contiguous contact with the bobbin by moving the heated wire assembly through the cutting plane. Since the filamentary material is always under tension, the convolutions of material part as they are cut and fall from the spool or bobbin. In order to heat the wire, a variable voltage source is electrically connected to the said wire.

The apparatus of the present invention will be more clearly understood with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Figure 1 is a perspective view of the apparatus having a waste filamentary material containing bobbin mounted thereon.

Figure 2 is another perspective view of the same apparatus showing waste fllamentary material after it has been cut by the heated wire and removed from the bobbin.

Referring particularly to Figures 1 and 2, the base member 1 has a vertical support 2 to which is attached a bobbin holder 3 and a movable arm 4 having attached thereto a cutting wire 5 which is supported by electrically conducting supports 6 and 6a. The voltage regulator 7 is provided to adjust the temperature of cutting wire 5. Voltage regulator 7 is electrically connected to supports 6 and 6a by way of the electrically conducting leads 10 and 10a. The waste filamentary material 9 is shown to be wrapped around bobbin 8 in Figure l. In Figure 2 waste filamentary material 9 is shown after it has been completely severed by the heated wire element 5 and has completely fallen from bobbin 8. Spring 11 is used to keep the wire element taut but is only to be considered an optional feature.

The operation of the apparatus shown in Figures 1 and 2 of the drawing is as follows: a bobbin 8 containing Waste, organic, filamentary material 9 is mounted on bobbin holder 3. Voltage regulator 7 is adjusted to provide heated wire 5 with sufficient current so that it will be at the correct temperature to sever the convolutions of the waste filamentary material which is being removed. The cutting wire assembly is then moved to engage the heated wire with the waste iilamentary material and suflcient pressure is applied until the convolutions of the waste iilamentary material have been completely severed.

Any well-known electrically resistant wire may be used for the cutting wire such as Inconel, Nichrome or even platinum. The source of the current is controlled by a variable transformer, if A.C. is used, and a rheostat if D.C. is used. Supports 6 and 6a may be conductive or non-conductive. However, if they are non-conductive, electrical contact from the current source must be made directly to the current source leads.

The various organic filamentary materials, including synthetic polymeric filaments or fibers such as nylon, Daeron (a polyester ber), the various commercially avialable polyacrylonitrile filamentary materials, as well as many of the natural flamentary materials, can he severed and removed from bobbins or spools by means of the apparatus and using the process of this invention.

We claim:

l. An apparatus for removing waste, organic, filamentary material from a bobbin comprising a base member having an elongated support; an arm rotatably attached at one end to said support; two longitudinally spaced supporting means extending in the same direction from said arm; an electrical resistance wire suspended across the terminal ends of the said supporting means, the arm, the supporting means and the resistance wire all being included in the plane defined by the path of rotation of said arm; an elongated bobbin holder extending from a fixed attachment to said Vsupport along a line which tical resistance wire is electrically connected to a sourceof4 electricity.

3. An apparatus for removing organic, lamentarymaterial yfrom a bobbin comprisinga base member havingA an elongated support;` an arm rotatably attached' at one end` to said support; two longitudinally spaced supporting means extending in the same,A direction from` said army an electrical resistance wire suspended across the terminalI ends of the said supporting means, the arm, the supporting means andthe resistance wirerall being. includedinthe plane defined by the path of rotationY of'said armgan coextensive with one of 'therlines defined by said wire in.`

the path of rotation, the rotation, off'the aforesaidarm during operation of the apparatus causing the resistance wire to move through the detnediplane vinto contiguous contact with the surface of abobbin that, during operation of the apparatus, is positioned on the aforesaid bobbin holder.

` References Cited the iIe of this patent UNITEmsTATnszPArEVNTs c 771,518. Wilson -ct., 4, 1904 1,679,004' PinkeletiaLj July/31, 1928 1,905,366Y Carlin,. Apr. V25', 1933 2,237,203 Swanson Apr. 1, 1941 2,419,184.' Yungf" .-..-.......Apr-; 15, 1947 2,422,772 Bohn .v June 24, 1947 2,438,156 Dodge Mar. 23, 1948 2,692,328 Jaye Oct. 19, 1954 2,747,272, Smith et al. t. May 29, 195,6 2,930,878 A Camerini Mar: 429, .1960

FOREIGN PATENTSl 383,707 GermanyJ Oct 19,1923' 

